


Another kind of love - Rudes side

by Besidemyself



Series: Rude/Tifa series that follows a bigger plot [2]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997)
Genre: Angst, BAMF Rude, BAMF Tifa, Blood, Experimental, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Friendship, Minor Character Death, Not Beta Read, Organized Crime, Pining, Post-Advent Children (Compilation of FFVII), Romance, Rude (Compilation of FFVII)-centric, Sexual Tension, Sexual Themes, UST, Undercover as a Couple, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Violence, introspective, slowburn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:21:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25290814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Besidemyself/pseuds/Besidemyself
Summary: Three Turks were sitting in a Bar, called 7th Heaven, nursing their drinks, given to them by the owner of said bar.And one of them was constantly watching her even if he tried his best not to. It was hopeless anyway.---Rude has to go undercover and by chance meets Tifa who then helps him to crack the case.
Relationships: Reno & Rude (Compilation of FFVII), Rude & Elena, Tifa Lockhart/Rude
Series: Rude/Tifa series that follows a bigger plot [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1832158
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	Another kind of love - Rudes side

**Author's Note:**

> Heya, I'm not gonna lie this story probably only makes sense if you read the story from Tifas perspective first.  
> [ \--> You can find it here <\-- ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21261992)
> 
> I also wanted to try something else, writing "short" (still 9k words), without any direct speech and only from Rudes introspective because that is what I feel like is missing in the other story. But I still wanted to illustrate the difference of the beginning and the end so I switched the writing a bit there. You'll see. 
> 
> Feel free to tell me if this worked or not?  
> I can say I enjoyed writing it and I enjoy reading it. Even if it took me long enough to finish. 
> 
> Still haven't played FF7 again, I have literally no time for games atm.  
> So... 
> 
> _I don't own FFVII that is all to Square. This is a work from and for fans. No money is made with this._  
>  I'm no native speaker so I'm sorry for any mistake and please feel free to point them out.
> 
> Enjoy!

### Before the Mission:

Three Turks were sitting in a Bar, called 7th Heaven, nursing their drinks, given to them by the owner of said bar.   
And one of them was constantly watching her even if he tried his best not to. But it was hopeless anyway.

„You should just talk to her, yo!“  
Rude shook his head. Again his eyes followed Tifa as she walked around the room, brought drinks, laughed, smiled and worked. She also looked a bit tired. He wouldn‘t even know what to talk about.   
„Who knows? Maybe she likes you! Give her a chance to get to know you,“ Reno sounded annoyed. No wonder. They have had this exact conversation a thousand times already.   
Again Rude shook his head: „She doesn‘t like us.“   
It was a fact that always became apparent when she brought them drinks. She was careful around them, never letting her guard down, always ready for a fight. She tolerated them as long as they behaved because they brought business for both her and her man. So, even if he would manage to say hello, not just stare at her and bringing his brain back into working mode, no idea what to talk about, he was sure that she would not react kindly to that. 

„Pff, who cares? You don‘t have to marry her instantly. Just smalltalk. I don‘t know… compliment her hands or something boring like that. Maybe she likes that. Just do something!“  
„Her hands aren't boring! They are weapons! They could kill you, fool!“  
„Ohhh, Rude likes her hands,“ the third Turk finally piped in, smiling over her wineglass to the other two. „That is kind of cute.“  
Rude ignored both of them and their mocking grins and instead took a sip of his beer. Her hands were special. He wouldn‘t mind to feel them. Sadly the most likely scenario would be if they were balled in fists, connecting to his face and he had no intention to make Tifa that angry. Her hands were incredible, only second to her eyes. Eyes full of fire that would become so soft for people she deemed worthy of her kindness and love. Obviously not them. And so not him.  
„Then do compliment her hands! Maybe she really likes that, yo! Do it!“  
„She is in a relationship with Strife.“ It was another fact. Also now would be the worst timing anyway.  
„Who cares about Chocobo-head? Honestly, give her a chance to choose!“  
Again Rude shook his head.  
„I told you. I‘m over her.“  
„Yeah. And the lifestream is just a fairytale too. I don‘t believe you,“ Reno grabbed his glass with anger and took a large gulp.   
„You know… I don‘t think she is together with Strife. They don‘t seem like a couple,“ Elena glanced up at the front to the counter where the two were laughing with each other, showing relaxed postures. Friendly but not flirty.  
„Are you stupid? Look how close they are!“ Reno gestured towards the bar, explaining the obvious.  
„Of course they are close! That does not mean they are a couple!“ Elena hissed back. „We are close too! And I‘d rather drop dead than date any of you!“  
„Wow. Lena. Words can hurt, you know?“  
She rolled her eyes at that: „Yeah? Well, go fuck yourself. It‘s me after all who constantly has to answer questions like ‚So, which if the three are you sleeping with?‘“  
Rude slightly shook his head at the idea and even Reno scrunched his nose a bit but then he opened his mouth again: „Who is it? Rude? Tseng? … or Rufus? Aiming high Lena! … no… he‘s no Turk anymore but… wait! It‘s not me, is it? Are we having an affair and I don‘t even know it? Why haven‘t you told me?“   
She rolled her eyes but laughed. Even Rude smiled for a second. He would miss them.  
„Don‘t worry. It‘s not you,“ Elena finished her wine. „Another round? This one is on me.“

Both Reno and Rude nodded while Elena waved over to the bar, causing Tifa to walk up, a tight smile on her face and hands on her hips: „Yes? You want to pay?“  
„Uh… no… actually another round? Beer, wine, scotch?“ Elena sounded a bit intimidated but that was no surprise. Tifa was a strong person, queen of her kingdom. She was standing right beside Rude and he used the close proximity to watch her hands, strong grip and many scars from countless battles and handling hot food.   
„All right. Anything else?“   
„Actually yes. Imagine one of us is going on a big and dangerous undercover mission for a few months. Would you give them a kiss for good luck?“ Reno smiled up at the bar-owner and Rude felt his hands clenching around the bottle in front of him in a mix of dread and anger.  
Tifa's whole body suddenly lost some of the tension, replaced by resignation and tiredness. Without another word, she turned and walked back to the counter. 

Elena facepalmed and Rude wanted to plant his palm in Renos face. How fucking stupid could one person be?   
„What? Could have worked!“ Reno immediately got defensive. It was always like that.  
„No!“ Elena shook her head. „That was just stupid! She now thinks you‘re hitting on her!“  
„Nooo…,“ Reno smiled and then furrowed his brows as if for once he understood how fucked up that was. But no. „Hey, do you think I have a chance? Rude you said you gave up on her?“  
„Reno, you wouldn‘t have a chance if you were the last man on earth! Also shut the fuck up!“ Elena groaned.  
„I‘m going home,“ Rude was done for the day.  
„What? No! Who knows how long you will be gone?! You can‘t go yet! It‘s the last evening!“  
„I can and I will. See you soon.“   
He stood up the moment Cloud brought them their drinks.   
With a nod Rude grabbed the bottle: „I‘ll bring it back next time.“  
Cloud just stared at him with mild confusion and then shrugged. The Turks were often enough at 7th Heaven.   
Rude left without another word or glance back because there really was no sense. At least knowing that it really was a lost cause would make the job easier. 

* * *

**Meeting Tifa:**

It had been months of undercover work by him and a few rookies. He had managed to get a room in one of the worst complexes and started to socialize, finding contacts, earning something comparable to trust. 

Finally he had met a woman who could get him a job as a bouncer in a Club that was suspected to be owned by the Mafia, a hot-spot for human trafficking. She herself asked him to come by the gym to see if he was really capable of doing the job. Showing obvious interest in him. He could play along; it was his job after all, to finish the mission with all means necessary. He could be charming and open, completely different to his usual behavior. And every word a lie. It worked like honey. He got the job and started to train in the gym.

He did not anticipate meeting Tifa there. For a second he feared that she would recognize him, blow his cover but she didn‘t even look at him, did not care for anything. She just seemed very tired.

In fact they barely saw each other. And the few times they did, she also did not recognize him, which was good… until one day she finally did, got angry and ran away. He considered to leave her alone but it wasn‘t exactly safe out there and so he followed. If she was okay and in control there was no need to step in but if not, he would be able to help her. So he decided to follow. 

* * *

**The fallout with the goons:**

Shelly questioned his intention when he left the gym and he reasoned it was worry about a woman being outside alone, aware that he was not supposed to know as much about the Mafia's doings - or Tifa - as he did. Later he figured Shelly must have interpreted it as an interest in the other woman which wasn‘t completely wrong and that ultimately helped his own agenda.

He had been irritated about Tifa's performance in the fight. She seemed less strong and that couldn‘t have been only because of her tired and weakened state. She had also been angry, erratic and irrational. Maybe she had an argument with Strife and that thought helped to keep the emotional distance and enabled Rude to actually talk to her, even berate her. He had easily slipped in his professional mindset. 

After that there was a lot of movement in the whole mission. Until that moment the Turks hadn‘t even known that there were illegal fights. But the goons Reno picked up after the fight spilled the beans after they had been convinced to speak. Additional Rude had been reached out to by special friends of the club-owner, to ensure Tifa's _participation_ in exchange for a better position within the organization. 

He was in.

* * *

**Going deeper:**

When Rude made his report to Tseng he had been adamant that the Turks should be honest towards Tifa. Her having only a small part of the information could endanger the whole mission since she would be part of it one way or another. She was smart and capable and would be an asset. And that was only a small part his own infatuation. It was factual.  
Finally Tseng agreed, Elena was positioned in 7th Heaven, Reno would work in the open, doing what he could do best, drawing attention to himself. Rude would have to go deeper, ceasing contact. IF he was pulled more into the Mafia works they would monitor him.

The thing Rude hadn't told Tseng was the additional order the Mafia had given him. He had been glad that in this role there was no need for him to hide his shock. To his question why he should seduce Tifa instead of just kidnapping her, they questioned if he was up for the job and that he just should do as told! No, he couldn't wrap his head around it, the same about the fact that Shelly didn‘t try any more to flirt with him. It seemed like it was proof that she was in the ranks of the Mafia way deeper than he first had thought. He would need to be careful.

* * *

**Recruiting Tifa:**

A few days passed before his and Tifa's paths crossed again and he was glad that she was such a smart woman, instantly catching on on the undercover situation. She even seemed to have accepted her role in it. It was a relief while at the same time even more dangerous than he had wanted ro admit. This time he had been almost sure that he had been over her. 

That he had been able to be professional before had seemed like a good indicator but as soon as she started to really smile, enjoying something simple like a small workout he was back on his bullshit.

He deserved that kick to his face.  
Then her asking him for a drink, as a means to say sorry, came as a surprise but not an unpleasant one. It would help his case. He just had to constantly remind himself, that Tifa was taken and, if she agreed to it, only playing along and that she did everything for her family and not for him. This was no date.

She was compensating him for his help and the kick to the face. 

* * *

**The „date“:**

To keep this mindset became harder every time he looked at her. Especially dressed up like that. Fitting but practical. She was the most beautiful woman in the world with or without makeup and no matter if she wore rags or a dress. This was like a special treat and he was allowed to witness it. Her overall awkwardness was endearing. And even her little outbreak in his car only showed her inner strength. And again he was amazed by her fast thinking and how she was able to adapt.

So, what happened in the Club was a big discovery. He would have never imagined seeing Tifa Lockhart in a state of panic. Had he known that she would react so badly Rude would have never suggested coming here but apparently she hadn’t known either. That didn’t make it better. And she had really tried to keep it together, had grabbed the only thing in reach and that was not completely unfamiliar. When he brought her away from the light and noise she calmed down again and while the biggest part of Rude stayed professional in that situation, a smaller part was enjoying the contact and intimacy. Even if not real it was there.  
  
Meeting one of the dancer girls was a lucky coincidence even if embarrassing. Nonetheless it helped their cover. 

Within the dance bar Tifa once more showed how smart she was, with her analytical demeanor and precise questions. He had decided before, like he had advised his colleagues, to answer all her questions with 100% honesty, no matter how much it shocked her. She was better off knowing the hard truth. It obviously was the better tactic. She already was careful and distrusting towards him but also towards anyone else, keeping her eyes on the people attending, especially all the girls and women keeping an eye on them in return. She even said she could see any jealous girls to spit in his drink. It was an interesting foresight he wouldn’t have considered. It also showed that gaining her trust wasn't easy.

Still he received a special treat, being allowed to dance with her. Even if she was a beginner and a bit clumsy, it relaxed her. Enough that she started to have a bit of fun. She asked him things, allowed him to share some personal information, even laughed at his joke. It sped up his heart rate and made it so much harder to force himself to keep a certain distance. He had to remind himself, that a lot of her actions were ways of testing him. He could see it in her eyes as she tried to read him. Also she was Strifes girl and he didn‘t want to cross that line. 

He didn‘t always understand why she acted the way she did though. Like the way she decided to act flirtatious out of nowhere to deflect the waitress. Not that it was hard for her to enthrall him. He had been happy to watch her do the dishes in the bar, but the display of offensive flirting towards him, dark eyes, red lips and a beautiful dress, was something he never imagined to experience in reality. And he really didn‘t understand why she felt the need to do it.   
The thought that stayed with him was that she would be an incredible Turk. If not for her soft heart.

At the end of their fake-date she came to the conclusion that her participation in this whole mission was necessary. He couldn‘t say that he was sad about the prospect. It meant they would act as a couple and the fact that she was NOT Strifes girl, that she was actually single, took a huge chunk of tension out of the situation. And made it way, way more dangerous. While she walked back to the bar he was questioning if this might be just a dream, how it was possible that he was allowed to spend time with her. For a second he felt himself losing control over his emotions, slipping into a state of panic and euphoria. Until he saw her turn at the door and wave.  
  
She was no damsel in distress, far from it, but the way she stood there in such an untypical outfit, her family sent away, she seemed small. This mission had to be a success, no matter what, so she and her family could live in peace again. And then he would finally take care of those emotions. He had no idea how but he would find a way.

* * *

**The mission continues:**

The next day Rude realized how strange and downright annoying Shelly actually was. The way she tried to get under Tifa’s skin rubbed him the wrong way and he still had no clue what exactly her position within the Mafia was. She had used him for a night of fun and then got him the job at the Club.

The way she endorsed whatever was happening between Rude and Tifa was downright suspicious. There was another agenda than just Tifa’s abduction and there was not clear what that was. But for now there was nothing to do about it and he also left the counter, sharing a fake smile with Shelly, when Tifa fled from the questioning.

The fact that Tifa stayed after this, when it was obvious that she just wanted to run, impressed him further. She really was the strongest woman in the world. All she had endured so far, all she had given up so others could be happy and even now he was sure the main reasons she did what she had to do, faking a relationship with a former enemy, was not to save herself. She did it for the people held captive and those who might become future victims. She did it for her family. He was glad that she allowed him to hug her in an effort to show support. She shouldn‘t think that she had to do this alone. 

* * *

**The relationship grows:**

Tifa really continued to amaze him. He had figured that she was tough and with good humor but apparently she also had a tendency to be downright silly at times and it was easy to play along, to even tease her. It was a _thrill_ to see her laugh about his jokes. As it was a thrill to see her accepting his instructions while they sparred with each other. 

It became almost painfully clear that her own exercise had lacked in the last few years and that she wanted to become better and stronger again. And she recognized him as someone who could provide guidance to this goal. She had said that she did not trust him but she allowed him near enough to make it look like it. She was amazing like that.

The day she kissed him on the cheek, as a cover to slip him Tseng’s message, really showed that she didn’t hate or despise him anymore. It was a great day in his book. 

The code was deciphered easily, providing him a number that would alert every Turk and send them a message. To be used in an emergency or when it was time to act.

Later that night, in a calm minute while taking care that patrons in the Club would keep their hands to themselves, he remembered Tifa's message from Tseng. It almost made him smile. Despite the Turk leaders fear, that Rude’s weakness for Tifa might distract him from his real mission, the opposite was the case.

She had kissed him on the cheek!

If anything it actually motivated him. It was nice to really get to know her instead of patching together a picture with information out of reports and from their brief interactions. And mostly undisturbed by other people. And with other people he meant his fellow Turks.  
He did think about her a lot and was looking forward to the short times they had together.

Especially since there wasn‘t one meeting with her in which he didn‘t learn something new and exciting.

Some evenings had more surprises in store than others, though: It surprised him that he had to show her a technique to concentrate better. It surprised him to learn that she only slept a few hours per night and then took a nap in the middle of the day. It was a pleasant surprise that she took his attack and quib with good humor. It had been an absolutely surprise how suggestive she flirted with him when he had her pinned down. He would have expected a threat or a knee between his legs, even if he didn’t have any intention to make it more than sparring. But there was so much evidence for arousal and then flirty banter, that could be understood as an invitation.

And he had no idea how to react.

* * *

**A different commission:**

They were saved - or interrupted - by Shelly. While Rude walked to the front door, he tried to rationalize what had just happened. He must have misunderstood the signals. It couldn’t be that Tifa showed any kind of real interest in him. There was no way… Not that he would not fondly think back to how she looked straddling him or lying under him with these blown pupils and her mouth opened just a bit, her breath erratic, noses almost touching. Maybe he should have just kissed her… 

When he finally got to the phone he was informed about a special job by his Mafia contact and that he had to come to a certain address immediately.   
Well, if they wanted that, he had to comply. It was part of the whole mission to do what they told him to. He really wondered what was going on. Maybe his cover was blown. He hoped not.  
So, he returned to the sparring room and caught the distressed look on Tifa. It had to be something Shelly had said, who looked very excited. But sadly he had no time to support Tifa, even if he wanted to. Instead he stepped up to her and gave Tifa a kiss on her cheek, like she had done. It just seemed to make sense if they posed as a couple.   
Also maybe it was his last chance. 

He hurried to the given address, prepared to fight, code number at the ready. As it turned out he was in no danger. Instead they asked him to train their fighters. He learned that this was not the arena. No, they would only show that place to him, when they trusted him _more_. But he should teach their champions because he knew Lockharts style and seemed like a good teacher.  
And that became his new job the next few days.

Every night after the spar with Tifa, he was summoned away to train and teach men and women, who were forced to fight, way into the next day. It was disgusting. As soon as the 'Champions' stopped performing over a certain level, they were used for death matches. And not one of them was here because they wanted to.

* * *

**Training continues:**

Rude also learned that Tifa was likely to perform in the death matches. And that made one thing clear: She had to train more, so they started to spar for two hours instead of just one. It was without question that she would win, thanks to skill and strength but... he had to make sure that she would really survive.

And the biggest problem about the death matches were, that she was no killer.

Well, she had killed people before but that had been different. Also she was soft hearted even if tough as a nail. Finding emotional distance from killing humans was nothing that could be trained without actually killing. A lot. Rude was still proud of Tifa's accomplishments in such a short time. 

He had met Zagan one time, after having heard a lot about him. Back then the old Master had talked in high regards about his best student. That had to be Tifa. 

Life was just weird like that.

* * *

**“Dating” each other:**

Another good - good to some extent - thing now was the lack of tension between them. Whatever had been there was seemingly completely gone again, replaced by a lot of banter. It wasn't full of tension but warm and friendly, a lot of fun and made it way too easy to imagine dating Tifa for real. It was a special kind of closeness to massage her shoulders, trying not to think about doing that with her whole body. And he downright loved it when she called him her boyfriend… she had slipped in the role so naturally. It was so easy to imagine. 

In truth it was all part of the job, the only thing he had to do now was to finish the seduction, so the Mafia would show him the whereabouts of the fighting arena.   
The plan the Mob had conducted made no sense.

Rude was supposed to train Tifa, seduce her and then she would be abducted and he was shown the arena. But they gave him no time for that because he had to train their Champions too, and time was running short because the Mafia wanted everything to happen before Blondie came back with the kids. Everything seemed unnecessarily complicated. 

But tonight he had been told that he could have a few he had a few hours before he had to return to training. That was until Shelly appeared again and Tifa got frustrated over the fact.

It honestly warmed him that it seemed like she wanted to spend time with _him_.  
And it hurt to see her leave, crestfallen after she had been happy before.

He absolutely did not like Shellys expression when she looked after Tifa with an almost too bright smile even if her brows were furrowed like she felt sorry, when she turned back to him. The whole demeanor screamed fake. And even more so when all he was told on the phone was that he could take it easy tonight. Shellys happiness for 'the couple' to be able to go on a date was also highly suspicious and Rude still couldn‘t understand what her additional agenda was. 

He almost forgot all about it when he saw Tifa's face light up with excitement the moment she spied him standing at the counter, waiting for her. She even hurried to hug him.   
Yeah, he almost forgot it if not for Shelly watching them and her creepy smile. 

* * *

**The 'seduction':**

Of course the Coffee Shop was closed. Closed down by the Mafia. Rude could see the signs of their meddling, while standing in front of it, _still holding Tifas hand._  
Well, so much for the second date.  
Instead they had started to walk a bit, again exchanging teasing banter. It was so easy and felt so real until it didn‘t anymore because they were followed. At least then he could be professional again, inform her about the situation and ask something he might otherwise never would have: to stay the night. The reality of it almost made him blush even if it wouldn‘t be the real thing. Tifa deserved better than a fling in a dirty hole, bugged and with thin walls. Still, he had planned for this turn of events and hoped that Tifa was comfortable enough to play along. Who would have thought that Renos ridiculous present would come in handy one day?

Again Tifa said yes, actually willing to follow through with the plan not even knowing it yet. Rude really was in love with the most incredible woman.  
  
And the love only grew when she didn‘t back down and her fighting spirit came up. It was exciting to watch and made the fact that she allowed _him_ to _touch_ or _kiss_ her so much more special. She had started to trust him! Enough to reveal that _it_ had been a while. _Dating_ her was a privilege. _Having Sex_ with her was a privilege. Even if it was fake.

Of course it went different than thought, in the beginning less embarassing than anticipated. That was until he chose a disk with ShinRa porn on it. Who would have guessed that the collection had that? Of course he knew that it was a thing... Reno had "explained the plot" of one of the movies in detail. 

Rude never wanted to hear about this shit again. It was disgusting and embarrassing. But then this movie has started and after the first shock Tifa was clearly amused and Rude figured he could bear it. The movies on those discs were barely longer than ten minutes.

It just became too much when it looked like there would be a scene with Turk look-alikes. No chance in hell he would watch that.

Well, he would lie if he said the ensuing chase and catch hadn‘t been fun and the way Tifa laughed into his chest wasn‘t one of the best things that ever happened to him, but he was glad that he had been able to stop the movie. Also, he would have to kill Reno. 

The next highlight for him was to carry Tifa to bed. And this time not because she had been knocked out and he was worried about her, but because she felt comfortable enough to fall asleep in his presence.  
He wanted to linger, watch her sleep a bit, but it would be a breach of her trust and downright creepy to do so. Instead he returned to the couch to nap for a short time, covered by a blanket that smelled like Tifa.

* * *

**The morning after:**

It was a good thing that both Tifa and Rude were trained to function with only a few hours of sleep, so he woke up soon again and started to prepare coffee and took a cold shower. This place was really a shithole. 

When he couldn’t postpone waking Tifa up anymore, he returned into the bedroom, where she was still peacefully sleeping. In his bed. And now he had to wake her up. He already regretted it but still squatted down beside her and started to carefully shake her awake. Again, even if she was already the most beautiful woman in the world, watching her slowly opening her eyes and turning to him, returning his gaze was a special kind of beauty that almost took his breath away. It felt extremely intimate and it took all his willpower to not brush away a few strands of her dark hair. Also they had to get moving. 

The morning sparked a wish to experience this again... with waking up together like in a normal relationship. And it kind of hurt. How big were the chances of having Tifa in his home after spending the night with her? Nonexistent.

But his offer was real. He wanted to make her breakfast. Every day. The fact that he worded that wish came as a surprise to him. As came her answer. In other circumstances he might have acted differently, hugging and kissing her, risking that he might have misunderstood the situation, risking her rejection and then to never see her again but they still had a mission. He couldn‘t risk that. He could never risk the mission. 

But he could still enjoy her fiery being, how she wouldn’t take shit from anyone. It made him smile. As did her telling him again and again that she wanted to spend time with him. Even if it was just part of the act.  
Maybe he would finally ask her for a date when this whole mess was over. 

And they both survived. 

He couldn’t help but worry about her. No matter how strong she was, her heart was still soft. And he really did not want to let her go, hugging her a bit tighter, standing at the street corner where their ways would part. It felt like this could be a final goodbye. If the mafia thought that they had finally slept with each other, the Mob would try to finally get her. But before he could give another warning he felt Tifa’s lips almost on his own, shutting his brain down.

And really, he would swear that time almost stopped at that moment and he should have really just kissed her then and there but later, after they had been disturbed and he had left, he figured it was better that way because if that spark had been real (which he still struggled to believe) and they had started to kiss in earnest... he would have never stopped. And if anyone had seen that they might have questioned the intensity when they had supposedly just slept with each other. 

But he really didn’t know. He just hoped he would get the chance to talk to Tifa about everything. When this whole mess was over. 

* * *

**Disconnection:**

As soon as he turned up at the place where he trained the Champions they took his phone and explained to him that he would not meet with Tifa anymore, instead he should prepare the other fighters for the upcoming event. 

Of course he knew that Tifa would not think that he had stopped contact because he finally ‘got what he wanted‘, like the Mafiosi who talked to him laughed about. But he wanted to tell her that he was fine. He didn't want her to worry.  
He couldn’t so he played along. 

The next morning he woke up after a dream that had been way too intense. This hadn’t been the first time he had dreamt of Tifa but this had been different. More real, more emotional and more personal. And there was a need for clean shorts that he hope could be provided to him. 

He hadn’t been allowed to return to his room in the complex but was housed in a cell. It wasn’t like he was ‘a prisoner’ they just couldn’t risk ‘That little bitch meeting him‘. He was allowed to go anywhere within this building. And he used that.

And it was with a big luck, like unbelievingly so. Exploring the complex, he found it an old ShinRa building. He located an operation room that he could open with an old code. It had panels that still worked, giving him the chance to contact Tseng. It was an old frequenz but it did the trick.

He learned that two Turks were planted in the arena but with unclear status and unclear location. It was something to work with. He found explosives and weapons. He couldn‘t use the weapons but the explosives… he took those. 

* * *

**A trap:**

Two days later he was told to write Tifa a message. He tried his best to make it sound as fake as possible, to make her aware that it was an ambush. He still wondered if it wouldn‘t be better if she wasn‘t caught. But that wasn‘t on him. 

Half an hour after the presumed meeting he got the message of Tifa being caught. Not only her but 'That blond lass too!' and some 'Other Asshole Turks!', Rookies.   
It was disgusting to listen to the Mafia members talking about ‘a good hunt‘ when there had also been a couple casualties on both sides.

Now was the time for the Champions and himself to be transported to the Arena.   
One thing has become clear even if no one downright said it. He would have to fight too. 

The Arena was an old jail. Which might be a problem because jails weren‘t known for an easy exit or entry. Even with explosives. 

Again Rude was told that he was allowed to go everywhere but where the cells for the Champions and guest fighter were. Again he had a lot of luck.

He actually found the other Turk who had established himself as a very crafty helper and who had access to all the places. Rude figured out that the young man hadn't been compromised so he shared the emergency code. The Rookie had to contact the Tseng, giving him the location. Another job he gave the Rookie, was to find a means of escape, since neither Rude nor he were sure what exactly was going to happen.  
He showed Rude plans of the building and the Tunnels underground that were used for transporting prisoners in and out. Before they could delve in further, Rude was called over the intercom and returned to his quarters.

* * *

**The fights:**

From there he was brought to the actual arena that he now saw for the first time. And it gave him a bad feeling. It wouldn’t be easy to get out of it once inside.   
He was almost surprised to find Shelly waiting for him, dressed in clothes that were more professional and elegant than her usual attire and with a smile that promised nothing good. She asked him to accompany her to the evening entertainment and she led him in a cube high over the arena and the rows of seats that started to fill. 

Shelly's smile was very excited and it made him furious but still he played along. He greeted the people in suits who reeked of money and he saved all of their names and positions in his mind. They would all go down.

The first few fights were brutal but not deadly. Champions he had trained. And the suits were complimenting Rude and telling him that he did a good job training them. The Champions had been put in the arena by them. Disgusting.

Then Shelly advertised the main act.

Rude couldn't help but feel worried. Tifa was strong and beautiful and watching her fight was something he’d never get tired of but seeing her being electrocuted then seeing Shelly showing a sadistic smile while explaining the rules and finally seeing Tifa kill someone in self defense, someone who also fought to survive… it was horrible. It was twisted. He had wished to protect her from this. 

One of the hardest parts was to stay calm whenever one of her opponents got the upper hand, to even crack smiles about the distasteful jokes the Suits, the Goons and Shelly made. 

It became even harder when they shoved Elena in the arena. He had not expected this. He knew they had caught Elena but he had no idea that Tifa should fight her. And, goddess, was he glad that they didn‘t, even if he hated to see them get electrocuted again. But Tifa was just too smart for these sick games and he was proud. He was also proud of Elena who had done a good job so far. 

Shelly was pissed even if she hid it from the suits when she complimented them out and welcomed them back for the next day when the real event would happen but her eyes showed pure hatred and for a moment Rude was on the receiving end. It worried him for a second but he did not let any of it show, instead he tried to look worried for her, which seemed to do the trick.   
  
Rude was excused to train, to prepare himself for his fights tomorrow but before that he had other things to do.

* * *

**The plan:**

He met with the undercover Turk and together they created a plan to wire the explosives to the electrical circuit of the arena, hopefully creating an explosion that would rip a hole in the floor for Rude and Tifa to escape through, in case they would not manage to reach their Limit attacks. It was, by far, not the best plan but a plan nonetheless in case Reno and Tseng wouldn‘t reach them in time.  
  
Only after that it was time to train against everyone who would fight Rude tomorrow. Everyone but Tifa. Poor sods wouldn‘t stand a chance against him. Lucky for them that would probably save their lives.

* * *

**Escaping the arena:**

The next day was a blur of training and fighting and finally Tifa appeared in the arena together with him. She had known, somehow figured out that they would fight. She played along. 

He almost smiled when he heard Elena. She sounded very angry. As did Tifa especially after what he said. And just for a second she was actually afraid of him, unsure about how much was real but when he cleared it up, she was willing to put all her trust in him and that was another boost of motivation.  
  
They fought and it was a sick kind of fun. He hated to hit her but they had to beat each other to activate the limit. And she had grown so much in these few days, they were on par. If only this wasn‘t so serious it would have been the best fight of his life.

Until Shelly made her next announcement and let the bomb drop that she knew he was a Turk. Had probably known for a long time.

This had not been how it was supposed to happen but there was hope for plan B. If the Rookie had managed to wire the explosives, they might have a chance.   
  
He wanted to hug Tifa who looked scared but they had to be able to roll themselves into balls and so a hug could be a danger. Instead he smiled at her with what he hoped showed confidence. 

It worked. They fell and they survived. It was a small, incredible lucky win against Shelly and now they had to move fast, get out and hope for reinforcements. 

Tifa seemed to be unhurt and he was glad to see her walk towards him, then the slap, the kiss.   
Both came as a shock and for a second he forgot where they were which was stupid and dangerous but at least he could die being kissed by Tifa Lockhart. Well, if they survived, one day, it may be more than one kiss. And that was an even bigger motivation. It took Shelly's voice to make the reality of the situation apparent again.

* * *

**The escape continues:**

So they ran. Rude would have loved to hold Tifa’s hand while running, like in a movie, but that would have been stupid and only slow them down as well as make them one big target instead of two normal sized ones. And they really shouldn’t risk that while someone was actually shooting at them. 

He was glad they could deal with their pursuers in an almost merciful way. The goons didn‘t suffer or had to fight a lot, but Tifa really had a soft heart and it showed in situations like these. What worried him even more was the dehydration, lack of food and exhaustion she probably suffered. They had to get out of here and fast before they met more mobsters. 

When the whole building started to shake he felt a mix of relief and worry. The building was strong so there wasn‘t a big danger for them to get buried alive but it also meant that the real culprits would try to flee. While they continued their search he tried his best to remember the map of the cellar. There might be a way that lead outside. It might be near the stairs up. It might be somewhere over there. Behind one of the doors.

Renos announcement once more flooded him with relief while it also confused him. He would never name his child Reno Junior, no matter how much he liked his partner. He also wouldn‘t have thought that Tifa would even joke about marriage or having a family with him. Not that he minded… and he got overjoyed about the fact that she wanted a real date. 

He would absolutely ask her out when this was over and he would make her breakfast every day if she asked him to. Heck, if it really was her wish he would even name his son after Reno.  
They just had to get out alive.

* * *

**Unlucky:**

As if that wasn’t always the hardest part. Because they really dipped in a huge amount of misfortune the moment they finally found the right door. It had only been a huch, a sound maybe a movement of the doorknob that gave them seconds to step back, it still hadn‘t been enough.  
Held at gunpoint they now had to listen to the ramblings of a madwoman. A woman who had wanted Tifa dead and now tried to bring her to work with her. None of this made sense.   
Tifa did a great job at keeping her distracted. As long as Shelly talked she wouldn’t shoot and help might come. They all just had to keep their cool

Which didn’t happen. Tifa's attack had been a surprise and the action had been fast and incredible stupid and only thanks to the fact that he had snapped out of it a second earlier than the gangsters, he had been able to knock out three of them. And again Tifa shocked him with her anger. 

She was actually bothered by the fact that he had slept with Shelly. She was jealous. For a second he considered to lie, to say that he didn’t had sex with the madwoman but at the beginning of their teamwork he had decided to always tell her the truth. Maybe it would hurt her, but so would a lie. In the end the truth was always found out. And so he answered that yes, he did sleep with Shelly. 

With worry he saw the anger being drained. He would have rather seen her explode, maybe attack him. Instead she just looked tired and sad and small.  
  
That was not right. He didn’t want to hurt her like that but before he could try to explain, a gun went off and he felt the blinding ache of being shot.   
Not for the first time, maybe for the last. 

* * *

**The rescue:**

Everything that followed was a blur that he barely remembered later. He must had told Tifa something important and she must have kept him awake until the Turks came to their rescue. Just one thing stayed with him. The impression that Tifa told him that she loved him too. It also had been confirmed by Reno and the Rookies with him, that Rude had mumbled “she loves me,” over and over again. 

When he woke up again he wondered why she wasn't there but it wasn't his decision. As soon as he was able to stand up he wanted to visit 7th Heaven to meet up with Tifa, to see if she was okay, talk to her. Instead he got ordered to stay and write his report, to check with doctors about his mental and bodily health and to make sure that every information he had collected was accurate. Help to identify the suits and the Mobsters he had met. He read reports on everything else he had missed. Rude learned that the Turk who helped him in the Arena had survived and was a great asset when everything was cleared out, while the second Rookie that had been planted, had been found out and been eliminated by the Mafia. Letter of condolences had to be written too. 

At least the work helped to keep him occupied but in the calmer moments his thoughts were with Tifa who he couldn't contact. He was forever thankful to Elena who told him that Tifa was okay and her friends were with her, that a couple of Rookies were keeping an eye on her. 

She was okay.

* * *

**The aftermath:**

A week later they finally got the order to go to 7th Heaven to prepare everything for Rufus' visit. Not exactly how Rude had hoped to meet with Tifa again but he was a professional after all. That also included enduring Renos constant pestering. And being polite to everyone present in 7th Heaven. The kids, Strife and...

As soon as he saw her again he felt like everything else was less important. Tifa was radiant and beautiful. She was safe and sound at home, behind the counter where she always was in control. It was like seeing the sun again. Good thing he had his glasses back on.

They only shared a shy smile and for a moment Rude wondered if it really was such a good idea to ask her out. Maybe the peace of last week had helped her head to clear up again. The 'I love you' said in a moment of fear and adrenaline and in the knowledge that she would die. He shoved that thought far away. Now was not the time.

As soon as he told her what was going to happen she sprang into action, commanded her family to get moving and Strife was helping her without questions. Now watching them interact Rude could finally see what Elena had meant with them being close but not dating. The way they worked with each other was similar to his and Renos. He still felt a small sting of jealousy but that vanished as soon as she started to prepare drinks, grabbing for his favorite beer (he still had a bottle at home that he needed to give back) and the bottle of whiskey that Reno preferred.   
When she started to prepare the wine for Elena, he recognized the short pause and he decided to try a shot in the dark and he hit. He just hoped that Tseng wouldn‘t be too angry about the fact that Tifa now knew his favorite drink. 

After she had everything prepared she turned back to him with a shy and a little bit awkward smile but her body language was inviting. To be alone right now… but there was the never-silent company that was his partner in crime, commenting on everything and also Cloud was around. And then the Rookies appeared as did Elena, Rufus and Tseng. 

The exchange that followed was amazing to watch. Tifa was acting the perfect host and continued to win the argument, trumping over Rufus, even directly challenging him and not avoiding confrontation. It wasn’t the best tactic but amazing to see. And both participants kept their anger in check, staying mostly professional, which was quite the feat. He had feared they would literally fight each other. 

Rude had also known that Tifa would refuse the money, not that she did not need it but she wouldn’t want money from Rufus Shinra. Even if he gave it to her because she had ‘earned it’ she would feel like he was making her his staff, an asset to use if necessary, a hired muscle. That was something she would never want. This whole time Tifa had been her own party only working _with_ Shinra, never _for_ them. Rude had known that and now Reno owed him a drink.  
  
Until the very end Tifa kept control, not even taking the money for the drinks she had prepared, once more making clear that everyone here had been guests. And with that everyone left and all Rude got were two minutes. 

But hopefully these two minutes were only the beginning of many more and the way Tifa basically jumped into his arms made it clear that she hoped so too. 

He never wanted to let her go but counted the seconds until he had to and finally asked her to go on a date with him. He felt happy when she said yes and even more so when she kissed him almost on the lips, like the one that happened by mistake, shy again. Hopefully only the beginning of so much more.   
Then he had to leave. 

Just the beginning. 

Outside he got pestered by both Reno and Elena and he could see the Rookies and even Tseng and Rufus watching and listening in.   
So, there wasn’t much to do but to inform the whole squad about his date. He already started to plan on losing everyone who might try to tail them tonight. 

### Some time later: 

Three Turks were sitting at the bar-counter in 7th Heaven, nursing their drinks given to them by the owner of the bar.   
One of them was almost constantly watching her. 

The owner just came back to walk behind the bar with a tray of empty glasses. 

“Say, Tif,” Reno started as soon as she was within earshot. Tifa answered with a slow sigh but turned to him. She looked tired. It has been a busy night. “Imagine one of us is going on a big and dangerous mission for a week. Would you give them a kiss for good luck?”  
Tifa rolled her eyes. Reno could be such a bother. But Tifa was a professional when interacting with patrons: “If you are talking about Rude, I took care about that last night.”  
“Ohhh?” Reno turned a bit to grin towards Rude who didn’t react but took a sip of his drink. “Come on, Lockhart. Tell me everything!”   
“Fuck off,” she turned away. Elena started to laugh and now it was Reno who rolled his eyes: “Nice customer service. But guess what, I didn’t mean Rude. I meant Elena, yo.”  
Tifa turned with a confused look, as did Elena. Not different to how Rude felt himself but he didn’t show it. Obviously uncomfortable about being stared at by three people, Reno held up both of his hands in defense: “Just a joke.”   
Tifa shook her head: “Who says that I didn’t took care about that yesterday too?”   
“Wait, what?!”  
Elena nearly spit out her drink before she started to laugh about Renos face.   
Tifa smirked: “Just a joke.” 

An hour later it was time to go, for the three Turks. Considering how Rude had left last time before a mission this was a thousand times better but also at least as hurtful because he had to leave the love of his life behind which had become a real relationship compared to the one sided yearning from before. And it had never been harder to start a mission then when Tifa kissed him goodbye.   
“Be careful and come back home to me, okay?” There was actual worry in her voice when she whispered that.   
“Of course. Don’t forget Elena has my back. Also it’s only observation. It’s routine work.”   
Letting go was really incredible hard and it took Elena and Reno to shout his name in unison for him to finally move away from the embrace and leaving with a last peck and ‘love you’. 

Yes, this was much much worse and also so much better and Rude would never change it, if he had anything to say in it. 

**Author's Note:**

> I have four more stories that follow this storyline. I mean the relationship of Tifa and Rude, the way the try to make it work with their special circumstances and Shelly as the big bad. Some of it more fluffy, others more thrilling. It will probably take a lot of time to finish them all. 
> 
> So, if you enjoy this storyline chances are you might read a bit more about it either later this year or at the beginning of next year.
> 
> I also have a oneshot outside of this story. We'll see what I finish first. Can't help myself. Rude/Tifa makes me all warm and fuzzy.
> 
> If something is still unclear, feel free to ask. But I figure I'll answer some questions in the following stories. But still, feel free to ask them.


End file.
